Trouble is, you have never quite figured out how to do that without reducing every occupant in the house into a grumpy grease spot frying in the heat. One way to cut down on your AC usage or even eliminate it altogether in some cooler climates is to have a whole house fan installed.

Whole house fans work by pulling in large amounts of cool air from outside and circulating it throughout the house while all the nasty hot air inside is pushed up into the attic and expelled. Most people find the most efficient way to use them in summer is to run the whole house fan during the cooler night and early morning hours and then shut them off and seal the house up during the day to keep as much of the cool air in as possible. That way even if you still feel the need to run the AC it will have to do far less work and will use a lot less energy.

A whole house fan is usually designed to be wired into an existing electrical circuit with a minimal amount of structural alteration. Big home stores carry direct-drive whole house fans that are designed for do it yourself installation but these are noisier and less efficient than the belt driven models that a professional HVAC contractor usually sells and installs.

Another reason to call in the pros rather than head off to the DIY store is that in order for a whole house fan to be as efficient as possible it has to be the right size for your home, which can be hard for an amateur to determine. An HVAC professional will be able to advise you and as the installation is fairly quick and easy it should only cost a few dollars more, which you should be able to recoup in energy savings many times over anyway.